A 40-yard field goal by Foley Schmidt '12 propelled the Big Green to a 20-17 win over Cornell Dartmouth's first ever double-overtime victory on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Field. The game marks the Big Green's second win of the season, as the team snapped a 17-game losing streak with a victory over Columbia two weeks ago.
Greg Patton '13 set a new Dartmouth (2-6, 2-3 Ivy) single-game rushing record with 243 yards in the contest, just two weeks after Nick Schwieger '12 rushed for 242 yards against Columbia to break what was then an 18-year-old record.
Patton, who was originally recruited as a defensive back, had never taken a snap in a varsity game.
"[Head coach Buddy Teevens] said he'd get me in the first couple of series and we'd see how it went from there, so I wasn't expecting to play that much," Patton said. "I just wanted to play football."
Cornell (2-6, 1-4 Ivy) got on the board first when quarterback Ben Ganter found Ben Moody with a 16-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The Big Red then followed up with a field goal in the third quarter from Brad Greenway, bringing the score to 10-0.
At the end of the third quarter, Dartmouth had posted 299 offensive yards, but still had not scored any points. The Big Green had converted just three of 11 third-down opportunities through 45 minutes of play.
Dartmouth, however, found its momentum in the fourth quarter, beginning with a 52-yard touchdown run by Patton. An interception and 17-yard return by Diego Fernando-Soto '12 set up Patton's score.
Matt Dornak '10 had no carries on the day, but acted as a blocking back to clear the way for Patton.
"[Patton] had a pretty heavy day, and it was all on the back of Dornak," Teevens said.
A 26-yard field goal from Schmidt near the end of the quarter tied the game, but it also gave Cornell a chance to seal a win with 2:17 left on the clock.
Cornell fielded the kickoff and marched down the field, giving Greenway a shot at a 35-yard field goal with just two seconds left on the clock.
Co-captain Pete Pidermann '10 blocked the kick to keep the score locked at 10-10.
"I guess my long arms are good for something," Pidermann joked.
Dartmouth was seventh in the nation in blocked kicks entering Saturday's game.
The first overtime period was evenly matched, as Cornell started the charge with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Walters. The Big Green, however, soon returned with another rushing touchdown from Patton, this time for 13 yards.
After the score, Teevens originally elected to go for the win with a the two-point conversion attempt, but after Cornell called a time-out, he changed his mind and went for the tie instead.
"I don't want to say I got cold feet, but I changed my mind," he said. "I don't know what they would have done differently, so we opted at that point to just kick the football."
Tied at 17-17 going into the second overtime period, Dartmouth was at first plagued by holding penalties, losing 20 yards on two consecutive plays.
The Big Green recovered from the penalties, though, and on third and long, Conner Kempe '12 fired a 20-yard pass to Michael Reilly '12 for his career-high ninth reception on the day.
The pass put Dartmouth in field goal range, and Schmidt's crucial kick was good.
"I've never had a game-winning kick before," Schmidt said. "When I got out there, it was completely silent, and it made me really calm. I wasn't worried about nerves."
The Big Red missed a field goal a 26-yard attempt that went wide left to end the game.
Much of the game was marked by sloppy play, with a total of six fumbles and 12 penalties by the time the second overtime period finished.
Dartmouth now has options at quarterback, as Patton and Kempe alternated at the position throughout the game. While Patton found success rushing, Kempe was solid as a passer, completing 23 of 28 passes with one interception.
This combination will keep opponents guessing, Teevens said.
"I thought Kempe handled it well. He was in and out [of the game], but at third and a mile, he can make the throw," Teevens said. "We have two guys who productively and successfully can operate our offense."
The Big Green will try for its first road win next Saturday when it takes on Brown (5-3, 3-2 Ivy) at 12:30 p.m. in Providence, R.I. The Bears currently sit in third place in the Ivy League.
